Which Country Has the Best Player at Every Position in the 2026 World Baseball Classic?

The rosters for all 20 teams competing in the 2026 World Baseball Classic were finalized last week, and the countdown to first pitch is officially on. The tournament is set to begin in just three weeks on March 5th. Team USA enters the field with an arguably stronger roster than the one it featured in 2023, when it came up just short of a title. Defending champion Japan looks poised to be just as good once again behind the unanimous top player on the planet, Shohei Ohtani. The Dominican Republic’s lineup has also drawn significant attention, featuring numerous MLB stars. Meanwhile, teams such as Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, and South Korea, among others, are all stocked with high-end MLB talent. It certainly raises the question of which country should claim the best player at each position entering the tournament.

Catcher: Cal Raleigh of Team USA

Cal Raleigh should be amongst the least debated names on this list. Pretty hard to argue against the guy who hit 60 bombs last season, which led the majors and was also the most home runs by a catcher ever. Raleigh ended up finishing second in AL MVP voting, and his 2025 season will be remembered by baseball fans for years. This will be one position where Team USA will have a clear advantage. Raleigh was not on the roster in 2023, as he hadn’t really broken out yet at the major league level. This time around, Team USA goes into the tournament with the clear best catcher on the planet. Honorable mentions include William Contreras of Team Venezuela and Alejandro Kirk of Team Mexico

First Base: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of Team Dominican Republic

Team Dominican is thrilled to have Vladimir Guerrero Jr this time around, as he missed the last WBC due to a knee injury. There are a lot of elite first basemen in the game today, but after last season, it’s hard to argue against Vladdy being the best. He set the MLB record for the best OPS in a single postseason with a 1.289 OPS, which included eight homers. He was also very good in the regular season, hitting .292 and posting a 4.6 bWAR. Guerrero Jr. could be a game-changer this time around for the Dominican Republic. Honorable mentions include Bryce Harper of Team USA and Josh Naylor of Team Canada.

Second Base: Ketel Marte of Team Dominican Republic

Ketel Marte seems to be the unanimous top second baseman in the game amongst baseball fans, but it still seems like he’s underrated. Marte is the best offensive second baseman in the league, and it's not close. His .893 OPS last year for the Diamondbacks was seventh in all of baseball amongst qualified hitters. Marte was the only second baseman who ranked inside the top 30 in that department. Honorable mentions include Brice Turang of Team USA and Jazz Chisholm of Team Great Britain.

Third Base: Gunnar Henderson of Team USA

With Jose Ramirez not participating in the opening round of the tournament, it’s hard to give him the top spot. The Dominican Republic will instead play Junior Caminero at the hot corner to begin the tournament. With that being said, Gunnar Henderson gets the top spot in my eyes. The Orioles star player is just 24 years old and has been so impressive to start his major league career. His 21.4 bWAR since his debut in 2023 is the most amongst MLB third basemen and even ahead of Ramirez. Honorable mentions include Junior Caminero of Team Dominican Republic and Kazuma Okamoto of Team Japan.

Shortstop: Bobby Witt Jr. of Team USA

Bobby Witt Jr. has a very good argument to be the third-best player on the planet behind the obvious top two in Ohtani and Aaron Judge. What Witt has done for the Royals since his debut in 2022 has been ridiculously impressive. He’s been top five in MVP voting in each of the last two seasons, and might be the most well-rounded player on the planet. Witt has stolen 30+ bases in three consecutive years, posting an .881 OPS in that same span, and he’s won consecutive gold gloves at the shortstop position. Witt is a true superstar in Kansas City, and Team USA is very lucky to have him. Honorable mentions include Geraldo Perdomo of Team Dominican Republic and Ezequiel Tovar of Team Venezuela.

Left Field: Juan Soto of Team Dominican Republic

The highest-paid baseball player on the planet is Juan Soto, who will be suiting up for the Dominican Republic again. Soto arguably has a better eye at the plate than any other player on the planet. He’s drawn 709 walks since the 2020 season, which is the best in the majors by a wide margin. Soto had a very good season in New York in his first season as a Met, hitting 42 homers, a .921 OPS, and finishing third in MVP voting. Honorable mentions include Jarren Duran of Team Mexico and Seiya Suzuki of Team Japan.

Center Field: Julio Rodriguez of Team Dominican Republic

Another nod for this insanely good outfield featured by the Dominican Republic. Julio Rodriguez has been one of the best players in the game since his debut in 2022. He’s already got a career 22.9 WAR in just four seasons. Rodriguez is a guy who does everything well. He had a 30/30 season last year to go along with excellent defense for the Mariners. Honorable mentions include Pete-Crow Armstrong of Team USA and Jackson Chourio of Team Venezuela.

Right Field: Aaron Judge of Team USA

The best hitter on the planet, Aaron Judge, gets ready to suit up for Team USA for the first time in his career. Judge has won back-to-back AL MVPs and has won three of the last four. He had another historic season last year for the Yankees, mashing 53 homers and a 1.144 OPS on the season, two ridiculously good marks. He will be the captain for Team USA this time around. Honorable mentions include Ronald Acuña of Team Venezuela and Fernando Tatis Jr. of Team Dominican Republic.

Designated Hitter: Shohei Ohtani of Team Japan

The defending champions in Team Japan get their first nod on this list with the best player on the planet in Shohei Ohtani. Ohtani has dominated the MLB in recent seasons, winning back-to-back-to-back MVP awards, which included a 50/50 season in 2024. All Shohei Ohtani has done is win. In 2023, he led Japan to a WBC title, and he’s now won back-to-back World Series with the Dodgers. Ohtani will only be a DH in the tournament for his squad, so he won’t be able to strike out the captain of Team USA to win the championship game this time around. Honorable mentions include Kyle Schwarber of Team USA and Eugenio Suarez of Team Venezuela.

Starting Pitcher: Tarik Skubal of Team USA

At the starting pitcher position, the obvious top two choices will both represent Team USA. The other considerable option here is Paul Skenes, who joins Tarik Skubal as back-to-back Cy Young winners in their respective leagues. You can really go either way here, as both pitchers have great arguments to be the best in the world. With what Skubal did in the postseason last year, he seemed like the correct choice. Skubal also had an incredible regular season, posting a 2.21 ERA in 31 starts, along with a ridiculous 241 strikeouts in 195.1 innings. Skubal also had the best WHIP in the league amongst qualified pitchers with a 0.891 WHIP on the season. Honorable mentions include Paul Skenes of Team USA and Yoshinobu Yamamoto of Team Japan.

Relief Pitcher: Mason Miller of Team USA

Mason Miller has possibly the most impressive arsenal in the league; he has the hardest-thrown fastball in the majors, averaging 101.2 miles per hour, and opposing batters hit just .168 off it in 2025. That's not even his best pitch, either. Miller’s slider generated an opposing batting average of .108, and hitters whiffed on it 54.6% of the time. Miller has arguably had the best stuff in the game out of any reliever since his debut, which is why the Padres gave away so much in order to land his services at the trade deadline last season. Adding him to Team USA’s bullpen gives them a shutdown closer. Honorable mentions include Edwin Diaz of Team Puerto Rico and Andres Munoz of Team Mexico.